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Father of teen found dead at Peruvian ayahuasca retreat seeking US autopsy and potential legal action against shaman

In this week's Episode 02 of the DoseNation Podcast we briefly discussed Kyle Nolan, the ayahuasca tourist found dead after taking ayahuasca with the shaman Mancoluto at the Shimbre center in Peru. Kyle's father, Sean Nolan, raised over $8,000 to have his son's body returned to the states, and is now trying to raise $3,500 for the US autopsy. This week, on the Fundly site where Sean is soliciting donations, he wrote:

I'm 35% ($1240) toward raising $3500 through fundly.com for Kyle's U.S. autopsy report. It was a blow to my family to learn recently that the Peruvian shaman got off with probation within the Peru criminal justice system. Shaman Mancoluto lied to my daughter, Marion, and her mother, told them Kyle wandered off disillusioned down the road pulling his suitcase on wheels. Truth is Mancoluto, after 24 hours non-attendance, found my son dead, then carried or dragged my precious son like an animal further into the jungle and buried him, dug up later by the Peruvian police after the shaman confessed.

This is why I'm angry: a NY stockbroker had a transformative experience through shaman Mancoluto. The stockbroker's wealth and newly found spiritual transformation was the financial backing behind the creation of Shimbre Center, where my son died. The stockbroker then went back to NY, leaving a problem he didn't care about in the jungle.

This stockbroker had been warned about unsafe conditions at the Peru Shimbre Center over two years before Kyle's death; that his shaman Mancoluto believed himself to be a 5th generation Martian and could take care of, via Martian ESP, ayahuasca participants walking into the jungle largely alone, which accounts for my son Kyle not being found for 24 hours.

Everything on their Shimbre website and in their professionally done 90 minute film documentary, 'Stepping Into The Fire,' emphasized a very safe environment. Kyle's triplet sister, Marion, told me Kyle was obsessed this past summer watching 'Stepping Into The Fire.'

I have a lawyer on contingency willing to take this case further. In order for that to begin, I need the full autopsy report.

Sorry, I disagree....if he had been open from the beginning, I could say that although his practices and beliefs differ from what we consider the norm in the US, that it was purely accidental...but instead he buried the body like a criminal who knew he did wrong and needed to cover the evidence...

Matt . : 2013-11-14 22:41:43

Its obvious that Mancoluto has different beliefs, including those regarding his identity, than you may render "normal" from your Western/developed country/modern scientific/exclusive perspective. Though a son's death is one of the most painful experiences an individual can endure, you should take a step back and not draw criticism of Mancoluto's cultural beliefs into your argument. The ayahuasca experience and shamanism in Peru are completely legitimate endeavors for an individual to explore and open themselves up to. IF Mancoluto promised physical safety and took this responsibility upon himself, then you have grounds to criticize Mancoluto's approach and the accountability of the stockbroker who enabled his unsupervised operations, but you do not have grounds to hold prejudice against his religious beliefs in and of themselves. Cultural respect has to be retained through your argument, as frustratingly painful as the experience may be.

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